This disclosure relates to an active roll control system.
Roll control systems have been employed in vehicles to improve the lateral stability of the vehicle during cornering maneuvers, for example. One typical type of passive roll control system incorporates a stabilizer bar associated with an axle of the vehicle. The stabilizer bar prevents excessive lateral roll during vehicle operation. To enhance the performance and handling of vehicles, semi-active and active roll control systems have been used in conjunction with stabilizer bars.
Semi-active and active roll control systems are typically provided on higher end or luxury vehicles due to the high cost of the systems. To reduce the cost of the roll control system so that it can be incorporated in a greater number of vehicles, the roll control components have been incorporated to existing suspension components, such as fluid dampers. The dampers, or shock absorbers, extend between the suspension components that support the wheels and the vehicle body. However, previously proposed damper roll control systems have not provided a desired level of performance. Furthermore, the proposed damper roll control systems are rather complex and use many components making the system too costly.
What is needed is a roll control system having enhanced performance and reduced cost.